Saturday

So, it's the weekend and almost a full week since I decided to swear off processed foods. It's going much better than i thought it would be. Thursday I was able to get to the fruit market and grocery store, and since then I have been making all our meals from scratch and the kids have been LOVING all the fruits and veges I let them have in between meals. I thought there would be an outcry for crackers, etc., but thankfully I haven't heard a single child ask for some (although they did find a stray pack of crackers the other day. Maybe it was enough to feed their cravings??).

Yesterday was my first big meal, and i made a fall-back dinner. Pot roast. I can make a pot roast in my sleep. I want to try soaking the roast in buttermilk for 48 hours before i cook it, but I had forgetten this step until i was assembling my ingredients yesterday. The buttermilk is supposed to help pre-digest the meat and break it down, thereby making it easier to digest. It sounds like it would add some good flavor, too.

Amerie is not a big roast eater, but she loves the potatoes and carrots. I need to figure out how to get her to eat red meat. She loves chicken, though. She'll eat it all day long, seasoned or not.

Today, Phil is taking the kids overnight, so I will not have them for dinner. We'll be eating lunch in a few minutes, and I ave made Potato Leek soup (my own recipe). The first time i made this soup, i thought for sure the kids would turn their noses up, but they each had at least two bowls of it! Apparently Potato Leek soup is supposed to be pureed and chilled, but I serve it warm and only "mashed." And so, my kids think it's "Mashed Potato Soup." The consistency is thinner than mashed potatoes (it is a soup, after all), but it's incredibly yummy!

Here's the recipe...

Mashed Potato Soup

4 leeks, peeled, cleaned, and finely chopped

3 tbsp butter

3 tbsp olive oil

4 potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1-inch cubes

2 quarts chicken stock (homemade is best)

several sprigs of thyme, tied together

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Saute the leeks in the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat until soft, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, peel and chop your potatoes. When leeks are soft, add potatoes and the chicken stock and bring to a boil. A bit of foam will rise to the top (I am told this is the "impurities"), skim this off with a spoon. Add thyme, salt and pepper. Lower heat to just above a simmer and let the potatoes cook for about an hour. After the hour, mash the potatoes with a potatoe masher. The soup is now done, but i like to keep it simmering until it has a thicker consistency.

Spoon into bowls and let cool a bit. Enjoy!!!

I will try posting pictures soon, but I have to figure out how. :)